Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

5.01 - Application of Novel Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to Improve Risk Assessment and Management of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC)

Description

Regulatory chemical inventories include hundreds of thousands of chemicals in commercial use, yet monitoring programs and regulatory assessments can only evaluate a fraction of this number, and usually as single chemicals instead of mixtures. Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, PFAS, flame retardants, plastic additives and their multitude of transformation products, have been detected in every environmental media, but actionable information to support regulatory and management action are commonly missing. This session will showcase how novel approach methodologies (NAMs) can accelerate identification of bioactive chemicals and prioritise CEC for targeted monitoring, risk assessment and management. We invite contributions that integrate exposure information (suspect/non target screening, effect directed analysis, passive sampling, high resolution mass spectrometry, data fusion) with NAM based hazard/effect profiling (bioanalytical tools, in vitro and small model assays, high throughput screening, omics, adverse outcome pathways, eDNA/eRNA, computational toxicology, QSAR/read across and machine learning). Our emphasis is on practical decision workflows: how to translate multi assay signatures and mechanistic information into transparent prioritisation schemes; how to handle mixtures, unknowns and uncertainty; and how to benchmark NAM outputs against field observations, guideline values and conventional tests. Case studies are especially welcome from environmental (water, sediment, air, biota) human biomonitoring and recycled material applications. We also encourage perspectives from regulators, industry and utilities on data needs, concept validation and pathways to uptake. Submissions on inter laboratory reproducibility, open data resources and harmonised reporting standards are encouraged. The session will support the meeting theme by demonstrating science to innovation pipelines that deliver faster, more ethical and more informative environmental decision making on mitigating chemical pollution.

Chair(s)

Frederic Leusch Griffith University Australia
Huiting Chen Exxon Mobil China (Mainland)
Reshma Sinha Central University of Himachal Pradesh India
Tomasz Puzyn University of Gdansk / QSAR Lab Poland